It may be preferable for large scale manufacture of microbeads (such as, for example, polymer microbeads) to allow for the control of various parameters. Some of these parameters may include, among others, control over: (i) bead diameter, (ii) degree of monodispersity, (iii) bead surface morphology and functionality, and/or (iv) rate of production—i.e., preferably, so as to enable a high-throughput.
The act of binding nanoparticles—such as quantum dots (QDs)—to polymer microbeads (e.g., for the use in diagnostic applications) may create additional manufacturing challenges and/or may increase the need for high quality, uniform and stable polymer beads. These and other potential uses for polymer microbeads may create a significant need for a large-scale method and system for forming same.
There is a known process for making polymer microbeads (or “microspheres” as they are sometimes called) which uses a flow focusing technique. Issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,516 (Ganan-Calvo) is illustrative in this regard. Heretofore, however, it may not have been readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art how one might adapt such flow focusing techniques to make polymer microbeads incorporating nanoparticles (e.g., in particular, QDs and/or magnetic nanoparticles), inter alia, in a one-step method. That is, known processes may not have been readily adaptable for use in association with the large-scale production of such polymer microbeads.
There may, therefore, exist a need for a novel method and system for large-scale manufacture of polymer microbeads.
Prior art flow focusing techniques may have been somewhat unsuitable for the manufacture of microbeads in large quantities (e.g., quantities of microbeads having a collective weight of several grams), perhaps in part because of the significant volume of ‘waste’ liquid used during the process. The significant amount of liquid previously used may have been due, to a great extent, on the substantial flow rate of the focusing liquid. It may be desirable to effectively address and creatively solve this problem—i.e., to deal with the large volumes of liquid previously used by flow focusing techniques for forming polymer microbeads—since it is one which may severely limit current production rates for microbeads. There may exist a need for a method and system for microbead manufacture which may minimize and/or reduce the amount of focusing fluid used, and/or which may afford greater control over the amount of focusing fluid produced.
A potentially serious concern arising from prior art microbead production methods may have been the generally low concentrations of microbeads so produced. Perhaps due in part to the volume of focusing liquid required in the prior art, microbeads may typically only be present in relatively low concentrations in product solutions (e.g., <0.02 wt %). Accordingly, for many microbead applications, additional steps (e.g., one or more centrifugations) may have been employed, on a more or less widespread basis, to bring the microbeads up to usable concentrations. In view thereof, there may exist a need for a method and system for forming, or manufacturing, microbeads at higher concentrations. Preferably, such a method or system would minimize, reduce or entirely eliminate any need to perform any additional concentrating steps.
It is, therefore, an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for forming microbeads.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for forming polymer microbeads.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale and/or high-throughput manufacture of microbeads.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for forming microbeads which affords increased control over: (i) bead diameter, (ii) degree of monodispersity, (iii) bead surface morphology and functionality, and/or (iv) rate of production.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale manufacture of microbeads binding nanoparticles, such as QDs.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale manufacture of high-quality, uniform and/or stable microbeads.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale manufacture of highly concentrated volumes of microbeads.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale manufacture of microbeads which reduces, minimizes and/or eliminates any need for subsequent centrifugation steps to concentrate same.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale flow focusing manufacture of microbeads which reduces and/or minimizes the amount of focusing fluid used, and/or which affords greater control over the amount of focusing fluid produced.
It is an object of one preferred embodiment according to the invention to provide a method and/or a system for large-scale flow focusing manufacture of microbeads, with the method and/or system being adapted to recycles at least some of the focusing fluid used.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages associated with the prior art, and/or to achieve one or more of the aforementioned objects of the invention.